


The Nearest Faraway Place

by ValentinesValentine (UnfinishedProject)



Series: East Meets West [1]
Category: Fallout 76
Genre: Developing Friendships, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Mild Rahmani Bashing, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:14:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27758245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnfinishedProject/pseuds/ValentinesValentine
Summary: The Resident can't sleep after the incident at the Enclave Bunker and the following fallout. And they are curious about the world outside of Appalachia.
Relationships: Knight Shin & Resident
Series: East Meets West [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030533
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	The Nearest Faraway Place

**Author's Note:**

> The Resident is gender-neutral as of now but will likely be "canonized" as a female in later parts.

The ramp, built up from supplies scavenged and donated by your little community of seventy-sixers, rattled under your boots as you ascended around the dome. It was late at night, and although your camp sat on an outcrop on Seneca Rocks, you decided to spend the night at Fort Atlas. Even though your first days with the Expeditionary Force were filled with friction, you were willing to give them a chance despite the differences. Neither you, hardened by years of survival in Appalachia, nor Rahmani or Shin were backing down when it came to disagreements — even if it risked your _second time_ joining of the Brotherhood. That's why you were heading up the until now unguarded ramparts, to clean your head after the more than strained dinner in the mess hall. 

You didn't expect anyone to be there, maybe a poor Initiate posted to patrol the outskirts — but it wasn't someone you were familiar with from the region. There wasn't much light up here, only what little your Pip-Boy provided; just enough to make out the features of your CO looking right up with equal amounts of surprise. You were yet to get used to the new arrivals and the activity around the long abandoned observatory. 

"Knight Shin," you mumbled as some sort of apology for disturbing him. He turned back to the darkened landscape without any particular interest in your presence — simply ignoring you as he did the majority of time. To him, you were just a civilian that happened to be more resourceful than the average wastelander despite following the automated recruitment process, and it left a bad taste in your mouth. "May I join you?" 

A grunt was all your go-ahead, settling beside him with legs hanging over the edge. It reminded you of the time in your vault, when you were still a kid watching some gathering with friends from a bridge over the atrium. The present company wasn't the best but it was still a wasteland, you had to make do. For a while, you sat there in silence, listening to the incessant buzz of Protectrons down below and the noise of the forest that's been your lullaby for the past two years. It was nice though, having a moment of respite before a battle against the muties, that may even be your last effort for the betterment of Appalachia. 

"Knight Shin?" Brown eyes squinted in the faint light and you felt flustered under the intense gaze — you've never been so close to each other before. It was different from the one of appraisal of your prowess that followed your very first meeting, softer but maybe just the shadows were playing tricks on you. He's given you a curt nod this time, and although his gaze seemed to fell somewhere above your head, he didn't turn away from you. "What it's like out there? Outside Appalachia?" 

You've never left the region and even though you were born before the bombs fell, all you ever knew was the vault and the ravaged region that was once home to your parents. There were a few pictures nailed to your wall, faded leaflets made for tourists and you heard a few stories about the life before — but the new arrivals before the Brotherhood came from barely the neighboring lands. But the Expeditionary Force crossed the country or what remained of it, seen more than you would in your entire life and you were curious if there was anything else to the world than death and ruins. 

"It's harsh. Doubt you'd last long out there, kid." You were about to protest, with your twenty-seventh birthday just around the corner you were hardly a kid anymore — but you swallowed the disrespect in fear of changing his mind. "Where I come from, there's not much vegetation. Cacti and the odd few palm trees. It's all browns, yellows and oranges; only the grey of buildings and the flickering neons breaking up the monotony. It's been like that as long as I can remember." 

It sounded boring to you after the vivid colors that surrounded you. The greens and browns of the forest, the beiges and blues of the valley, the violets and pinks of the mire or the red and orange of the bog — even the dusty grey of what was just called Ashheap was dotted by the color of abandoned machines. The vault wasn't as exciting but even that wasn't just blue, yellow and grey. But you've never seen cacti or palm trees, or rather just in books, and the buzz of city life sounded as something you'd never be able to experience now. You've only had towns and even those dilapidated and haunted with only the occasional bot parading through it or raider nests that started to become few and far between. 

"Lost Hills wasn't much different. It was uniform, militaristic." From what you've learnt through left behind transmission logs and holotape recordings, you weren't expecting anything else. There was a moment of silence as Shin muttered a curse about Rahmani and her narcissism — and you patted his hand as your way of assurance that together you'll find a way to contact what he considered his home. "The road here was slow, mountains and forests to cross, ruins to avoid. You never know what lingers in the shadows, if it's stronger than you or you can just stomp it." 

There were plenty beasts and monstrosities in the forests of Appalachia that you didn't need to be told. You've had your fair share of encounters with runaway West-Tek experiments, mutated wildlife or the infected population but you kept the biting remark to yourself after the time he took to answer your question. You honestly didn't expect more out of him than telling you to get lost; the way he was guarded about the past and their journey through the country led you to that belief. And you expected it even less that Shin would turn towards you more, leaning back against the post of the guard rails, and ask you about how was Appalachia. 

"Oh, here? You've probably seen everything. And I've spent most of my time in a vault, anyway." Appalachia might seem well-preserved to outsiders but it was far from the peaceful haven old songs made it to be. Sure, thanks to your fellow seventy-sixers, it became a habitable hellscape but there wasn't much it could offer that new arrivals wouldn't already see on their way in. "There's nothing interesting here." 

"Are you certain?" He probably meant more facilities like the one you recently visited for the transmitter and not you — why would a Knight of the Brotherhood be interested in a nobody like you? "I like to know what kind of people I'm working with." 

The only person you talked to about your past was Beckett — and usually the two of you were already half-way to being blackout drunk. He didn't judge you for the decisions you made, he didn't lectured you about how you should've gone about things — but that wasn't the kind of reaction Shin would probably have. You knew just as little about him as he knew of you, and your assumptions could've been wrong; but he looked down at you enough that you didn't want to dig a deeper hole under your feet. Although, he's been a lot less arrogant than during the day, indulging your stupid questions and letting you join him so maybe he wasn't that bad after all. 

"I'd love to explore one day. My parents are both local and vault life didn't exactly allow for that." You heaved a sigh, finding that it was your turn to stare at the stars above. "I know it's stupid, everyone's saying it's safe here and that I should just find a partner and settle down — but I can't help being curious. I always were, for as long I remember." You knew that your friends and family wanted the best for you, but you were never known about being able to stay still for long. The only reason you haven't left yet was that there were still things to do for the future of Appalachia. The Brotherhood seemed to be your breakout chance but with the decisions Rahmani made, you weren't certain about it anymore. 

"Believe me, kid, you don't want to do that." He sounded bitter, laying a hand over yours in the darkness — he was probably saying that with the losses they suffered on the road in mind. You wanted to tell him that it wouldn't happen to you, that you've faced enough dangers alone, too — but if a trained soldier could die, what chance did you stand? It was doubtful anyone would come with you other than your pup; maybe Shin was right and you really wouldn't last long outside Appalachia. Lost in thoughts, you haven't realized his hand still covering yours — the warmth of his palm on your skin quieting down your worries. 

He didn't want to dishearten you probably, just looking out for you in his own ways — the why, you weren't sure. Until tonight, he treated you no differently than he spoke to other Initiates and maybe he just didn't want to lose a potential ally — you did take his side against Rahmani for what it was worth. Or maybe, and that thought made you want to laugh, he saw you as a sort of friend; and as sweet that sounded, you could just as easily be the first person who shown him any willingness. It wouldn't be a first, looked at as nothing but a piece of meat — but the Blood Eagles and cultists never living long enough to have their fantasies fulfilled. 

"It's getting late. You should be in bed by now, Initiate." The change in his demeanor was just as sudden as if he just outright slapped you in the face — though it was much more like the Shin you got to know during your first days. He was the first to rise, not even offering a hand to you, just waiting for you to follow. Even more thoughts were swirling in your mind now than when you arrived — but it didn't seem like you had a choice. You would have to make do with the _calming snores_ of your fellow Initiates — or trek home in the dead of the night. 

You fell in step beside Shin, the only sound being your footfalls rattling the ramp. He was right in that it was late and eventually the pair of you rounded the corner to the barracks. It seemed to you that both of you wanted to say something — but in the end, all you did was wish a good night before slipping behind your doors.


End file.
